Get a jump on diabetes and limb loss

from Healthy Living November 2014

Get lifeyour ‘back’

The numbers are frightening both for someone who may be a borderline diabetic and certainly for someone diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

• There are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in the United States. Among those living with limb loss, the main causes are vascular disease (54 percent) — including diabetes and peripheral arterial disease. 1

• Of people with diabetes who have a lower extremity amputation, up to 55 percent will require amputation of the second leg within two or three years. 2

But there’s no reason to be overwhelmed by the statistics, especially with all we know and all we can do to fight back against this insidious disease, including all the tools brought to bear by the Limbstitute in Summerfield. Part of the Institute of Cardiovascular Excellence family, the Limbstitute specializes in vein treatment and restoring circulation to lower limbs. It’s also a revolutionary resource for those fighting the debilitating effects of diabetes.

Two medical professionals are principally responsible for the success of the Limbstitute and the life-changing results its patients have enjoyed there:

Tom Tran, PA-C, MPAAS Phlebologist

Tom is in a class by himself as a specialist in vein health and one of the driving forces behind the Limbstitute. He became a registered nurse in the ICU at Shands Hospital in Gainesville and subsequently accepted positions with several emergency departments throughout Florida. Tom was named physician assistant of the year for the state of Florida in 2007 and has appeared in numerous articles throughout the nation. He’s even an inventor. Tom capitalized on his interest in venous health by inventing a medical device — the transcatheter extractor — that “… allows for less downtime for the patient and takes him out of the operating room and into the doctor’s oﬃce.”

Mike Richards PA-C, MPAS Phlebologist

Mike is an associate and partner with Tom Tran at both the Limbstitute and the Comprehensive Vein Center in the Villages. He is well aware of how important a patient can be to his or her own good health. “Patients who are aware, who have proactive habits and recognize potential problems early almost always have better outcomes,” he says. “What’s important with The Limbstitute is that we are able to assess and treat all of a patient’s limb issues at one location. Arterial problems such as PAD, venous reﬂux that can lead to leg ulcers, wounds that just won’t heal. We have it all under one roof, along with specialties like cardiology, phlebology (vein care) and internal medicine. Even nutrition consultation, which can be critical to healing and a positive long-term result.”

David Haskins, 55, is a patient with ﬁrsthand knowledge of exactly what the Limbstitute can do for someonwe at risk of losing a limb.

“I had an ulcer on my leg and put oﬀ treatment for way too long My mother had similar problems and I was frankly scared of what was ahead for me,” he says. “I went to a walk-in clinic and they gave me antibiotics and told me to see a vein doctor. I did my research. Tom Tran’s name kept coming up. So I went to see him.

“Right away, he made me comfortable, explained everything. I needed vein surgery but we had to treat my ulcer ﬁrst. The wound took three weeks. My surgery — three veins in my left leg and two in my right had to be removed — was over in three visits. The outcome was so fantastic I kicked myself for waiting so long.

“Today I feel 25 again. I can go up ladders. I can go a whole day at work without having to come home and put my legs up. I can water ski! I can’t say enough. Tom Tran, his whole staﬀ, they are the best. The most comfortable medical experience I’ve ever had.” — David Haskins